The exchange of information between the hard drive and the computer is possible thanks to special interfaces. They are responsible for communication and have a direct effect on throughput, that is, the maximum speed of data transfer. At the moment the most popular is SATA, which is used by most consumer devices and servers. However, we've had a successor on the market for some time now - it's NVMe technology used in SSD media. In this article, specialists from Stovaris explain what it is and its advantages over its predecessor. In addition, we list the main advantages of its use in server solutions - we invite you to read on.
A brief history of hard disk drive interfaces
To begin with, it is worth explaining the sense of the continuous development of interfaces designed for hard drives. The best way to do this is to present their history. The first storage media, or HDDs, were mechanical devices. Back in the early 21st century, they used the IDE interface, now referred to as ATA, which replaced the obsolete serial connection.
The above technology in its last iteration (no longer developed) achieved data transfer speeds of 133 MB/s. Its successor is Serial ATA, or SATA, which is in use today. In its latest version - the third - it offers a real data throughput of about 600 MB/s. In turn, the latest innovation in interfaces, the increasingly well-known NVMe based on the PCIe 3.0 bus, can transfer up to 3,500 MB per second. It is worth mentioning that NVMe drives based on the latest PCIe 4.0 technology are now commercially available, and these drives have above-average read and write performance. For example, server drives from one of the top SSD manufacturers KIOXIA in the Kioxia CD6 and Kioxia CM6 series offer reads of up to 8,000 MB/s, while guaranteeing writes of up to 4,000 MB/s. These values are a rarity in the server environment, and it is worth mentioning that more and more people are choosing to upgrade their server environment precisely with the Kioxia CD6 and Kioxia CM6 series of drives.
The above story explains the purpose of the development of this technology - to speed up the reading and writing of information. Every year we process more and more, which in a way forces this process. This situation has also led to the emergence of SSDs, the successors to HDDs, remembering back to the 1950s.
Why are SSDs gradually displacing HDDs?
It is worth returning to HDDs for a moment more. They are still used today because of their very affordable price, above-average reliability and huge capacity. However, although they use the SATA interface, so at best they offer transfers of only 200 MB/s. This is due to technological limitations. Data is stored on magnetic platters spinning at high speed, and moving heads are responsible for writing and reading. Each of them can only be at one point at a time, which increases the time it takes to access information.
This is the main reason for the emergence of SSDs, in which mechanics have been completely eliminated, replaced by semiconductors. Transfer limitations are generated in them by the interface itself, although of course much also depends on the memory bones used. However, they are capable of handling the maximum data throughput for both SATA, SAS and NVMe technologies.
As a result, today HDD is mainly used for archiving large amounts of information. The main advantage of HDD still remains the fairly low cost $ per TB of data. Typically, cold-storage, i.e. data that does not require fast access, or legacy applications that do not require the speed that solid-state drives offer, are placed on platter drives. When fast access to information is a priority for us, this media replaces the SSD. This solution is used in both consumer computers and servers.
NVMe vs SATA - what's the difference between these technologies?
To make a comparison of NVMe vs SATA, it is necessary to start by describing the differences in the operation of the two interfaces. The latter technology, which is older, uses a host bus adapter. This is a controller that mediates the exchange of data between the SSD hard drive and the processor. In consumer computers, its function is usually performed by a bridge. It is a chip that is simultaneously responsible for performing many other tasks. In server solutions, on the other hand, it is usually located on special expansion cards.
With NVMe, this "middleman" has been eliminated. Communication between the drive and the processor is direct thanks to the use of the PCI Express (PCIe) bus. This has allowed a drastic increase in data throughput from the aforementioned 600 MB/s for the SATA interface to as much as 8,000 MB/s using NVMe PCI-e 4.0 SSDs.
The real power of NVMe lies in the speed of this technology
When buying hard drives, attention is always paid to their throughput. However, when comparing NVMe vs SATA in the context of a server application, the speed parameter is often more important. It is briefly described as IOPS, or "Input Output Per Second." It defines the number of data write and read operations that a device can perform simultaneously in one second. Taking into account the interfaces used today, its value is as follows:
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50 to 80 - the best HDD media available on the market,
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5,000 to 50,000 - SATA SSDs,
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85,000 for writes and 1,000,000 for reads - for NVMe PCI-e 4.0 and 50,000 to 400,000 - for NVMe PCI-e 3.0
For server storage media using the new communications technology, IOPS reaches up to one million.
NVMe SSDs come in three different versions
If you are planning to buy SSDs using NVMe technology, you should know that they come in 3 formats. You can choose from devices with a connector:
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PCI Express - take the form of expansion cards installed in a motherboard slot. Interestingly, this format has already been practically phased out for servers, due to the fact that it was not very practical - it occupied a PCI-e slot for each drive. However, these solutions are still available for consumer use, where it is usually sufficient for the user to use a single drive with such an interface.
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M.2 - the successor to mSATA, such a port is found in most modern computers, and servers. M.2 drives have a very low write endurance (sometimes as low as 0.4 DWPD). They should be used mainly for, for example, installing an operating system, while all data writing should be directed to drives with a higher endurance of 1.3 or 20 DWPD.
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U.2 - is mainly used in servers, allows the largest packing of disks in a small space and height of the server. This allows us to achieve as much as 2PB in a 1U server. Increasing disk packing also reduces TCO (Total Cost of Owning), the overall cost of owning a machine.
It should be further noted that the first two types apply to storage media of very small size. The last, on the other hand, is used in server-class 2.5'' drives.
NVMe and SATA interfaces can use encryption for SSD
It is worth mentioning a few more words about securing data stored on storage media. In this regard, in recent years, the so-called encrypted disk has become very popular. In its case, the cryptographic algorithm is encoded on a chip located directly in the device. Compared to its software counterpart, instead of protecting the entire memory, it encrypts each file separately. As a result, even if the code is broken, it is impossible to access all the data.
If you need such hardware, then the choice of NVMe or SATA interface will not matter. This encryption technology can be implemented in any SSD media.
What are the advantages of NVMe SSDs in terms of their server application?
It's time to focus exclusively on server solutions, where it is undoubtedly the new SSD interface technology that is most applicable. Specialists from Stovaris list some of its important advantages, taking into account the comparison of NVMe vs SATA. After all, ATA controllers are practically not used at all in servers. They can still be found mainly in old consumer computers.
Compared to its predecessor, the new communication interface allows, among other things:
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Performing more read or write operations while reducing CPU resource consumption - this is the result of the ability to queue queries,
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A marked reduction in delays when processing information stored on media,
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Reduced operating costs - NVMe devices are more energy efficient than SATA in both standby and standby modes,
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Increased stability of operation in the long term, which is the result of using capacious DRAM memory bones in the drives.
What is the use of NVMe SSDs?
The above advantages make the new interface even ideal for handling very large databases. In the context of NVMe vs SATA, the former technology significantly speeds up the creation, modification and analysis of collected information. However, these types of SSDs are also perfect for publishers of large websites and SaaS solution providers. They are also increasingly being used by companies investing in ERP and CRM systems.
It's worth mentioning, by the way, that such storage media are nowadays also popularly chosen by private users and small businesses. High bandwidth and extraordinary IOPS speed make these devices ideal for, among other things:
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lovers of modern computer games,
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programmers, photographers, architects and engineers,
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Those involved in filming or editing video materials with image resolution above FullHD.
NVMe SSDs are perfect for building RAID arrays
Undoubtedly, the backbone of the functioning of virtually every server are arrays. They streamline the management of disk resources, facilitate the replication of information, and on top of that are important from the point of view of data protection. SSDs using NVMe technology are ideal for building such storage networks. An excellent example of this is the GS series devices equipped with U2 connector, which our company Stovaris offers.
Their great advantage is the automation of data migration between different layers in the array. This allows combining modern storage media with classic SATA HDDs. This allows you to maintain a very high capacity of the base, while increasing its performance.
However, there are more benefits to choosing our NVMe drives for array construction, including:
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Huge expandability with scale-out and scale-up features - new nodes can be added and more storage clusters can be created,
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Simplifying management and operation,
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increased reliability - a special algorithm optimizes the operation of the drives, extending their life. In addition, it reduces the risk of simultaneous damage to several storage media and thus loss of some data,
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Access to a range of IT asset protection solutions, including those related to backups.
When building a server, always bet on proven SSDs!
As you can see, in the NVMe vs SATA competition, the former technology, as used in SSDs, has a significant advantage over the latter. You should consider using it if you are using a server to process large amounts of data. However, no matter what type of storage you bet on, be sure to buy hardware from the best manufacturers. It guarantees reliable operation and a high level of security. If you need support in its selection, contact Stovaris consultants! We are specialists in IT solutions - we implement them, as well as sell modern IT equipment. Don't know what solution will work best for your application or your existing infrastructure? Contact us, we will not only help you select a solution, but we will also explain the differences when using specific technologies.